Continuing Professional Development
"Continuing
Professional Development (CPD) is a continuing learning process
that complements formal undergraduate and postgraduate education
and training. CPD will play an important role in the delivery of
the new Revalidation system. CPD requires doctors to maintain and
improve their standards across all areas of their practice. CPD
should encourage and support specific changes in practice and
career development, and have a role to play in helping doctors to
keep up to date when they are not practising."
Keeping up to date through Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) is a professional responsibility for all doctors. CPD assists
doctors to maintain and improve their standards across all areas of
their practice, and encourages and supports specific changes in
practice and career development. It promotes good medical practice
and protects patients from substandard practice. Good Medical
Practice for General Practitioners, states that:
"You must keep your knowledge
and skills up to date throughout your working life. You should be
familiar with relevant guidelines and developments that affect your
work. You should regularly take part in educational activities that
maintain and further develop your competence and
performance."
RCGP CPD Strategy
As the key academic body for GPs in
the UK, the RCGP is leading the development of a UK-wide CPD
strategy for GPs. The main principles of the RCGP CPD strategy are
described in Professor Nigel Sparrow's paper Good CPD for
GPs.
CPD and Revalidation
With the introduction of Revalidation, GPs
will need to regularly demonstrate that they are up to date and fit
to practice. An active, reflective CPD record enables GPs to show
that they are maintaining their skills in their practice and allows
them to develop professionally and to learn from more formal
experiences.
In preparation for Revalidation, and in line with the
10 principles of good practice in CPD developed by the Academy
of Medical Royal Colleges, the RCGP has developed a CPD Credits Scheme for
all GPs. We are working closely with organisations such as COGPED,
NAPCE, UKCEA and Postgraduate Deaneries and will be consulting with
faculties and other local interests, individual GPs and CPD
providers as the scheme develops.
The scheme is currently piloting in various locations throughout
the UK and is due to report in Summer 2009. A
simple guide to the pilot scheme and a benchmarking tool to
assist GPs using the pilot are now available.
Planning and Recording CPD
Educational activity will often be planned in advance through a
Personal Development Plan (PDP) developed at appraisal which is focused on
learning outcomes.
Personal Development Plan Guidance for Appraisers provides
guidance to appraisers on how to advise their appraisees on PDP
construction. CPD should be recorded in a portfolio that describes
the GP's personal learning plan, the learning undertaken with some
reflection on how the GP's practice has changed as a result and
evidence of how the GP has kept up to date with new and changing
information.
Other CPD Initiatives
A range of initiatives are being developed by the Professional Development Board to support
CPD for GPs. These include:
- Essential Knowledge
Updates (EKU). A series of six-monthly online learning
modules which include new and changing knowledge relevant to
general practice.
- Essential Knowledge
Challenge (EKC). A series of online self-assessment
knowledge tests, linked to EKU.
- eLearning. The College has developed a
customised Online Learning Environment and is developing a range of
eLearning programmes.
- ePortfolio. The College is developing an
ePortfolio to enable established GPs to record their CPD in
support of Revalidation.
- Health
& Work. Initiatives in support of the Health &
Work agenda.
- Higher Professional
Development (HPD). An accreditation scheme for higher
education courses.
- Leadership
Programme. A programme that gives GPs the opportunity
to develop as leaders in the context of the rapidly changing
world of primary care.
- Carers. The College is piloting
an education programme to improve knowledge and understanding of
carer issues among primary care teams.